"She said we were doomed to be star crossed lovers, destined to wonder what might have been" – Shakespeare
This takes place just a few months after the death of the Harmon's. It's a bit long because the muse was flooding in my head and OC needs to have a background story in my head before proceeding with her romance with Tate.
Breaking Falls (Instrumental) [Opening scene]
And If My Heart Should Somehow Stop – James Vincent McMorrow [Tate nostlagic and alone scene]
The One that Got Away – Katy perry [OC and Tate scene]
A blonde woman stood in front of the gate of the infamous murder house. The 'for sale sign' made her smile, gripping the Katsa bag she brought with her. It was early in the morning and cars barely passed to the road, too early for anyone to be up to a Saturday morning. Wearing faded jeans, pairs of sneakers and a shirt made it easier for her to climb to the fence of the house. It should be trespassing however, there were more things that she was concerned for coming in the house.
Desdemona watched every window in the house as she walked towards the back door, fixing herself. Taking a deep breath, she knocked thrice on the door and was soon greeted by an old woman wearing a maid's uniform.
"Good to see you again, Moira." Her face lit up, hugging the woman.
"Same here." The maid laughed softly, hugging the woman back. Moira pulled away and gestured for the blonde to enter the house.
"How are the new occupants in this house?" She inquired, leaning against the counter.
"They're dealing with it." The maid responded, glancing to Vivien who was invisible in the sight of the human in front of her. Des took a rolled paper from her bag and gave it to Moira.
It has been months since the Harmon family was successfully scaring people away who would like to buy the house. Vivien has never seen the woman who was speaking to Moira. She crossed her arms and wondered how come another person knew the secret of the house aside from Constance.
The woman nodded her head and thought of what she read in the news about the recent deaths that occurred in the house. "How is he? Is he still in his place?" There was no need for Des to clear up whom she was asking for since Moira understood it clearly.
"He's doing just fine. As always, he's still up there. He'd been asking when you'd come." Moira murmured. "I'll go check if it's clear." The old lady left with the rolled paper that Des handed earlier.
"Thanks." Des nodded.
After Moira left, she was with the company of Vivien and Ben who just join her in the kitchen although technically, she's alone as the couple has not decided to let their presence know.
The visitor sat on a chair, tapping her fingers as she waited for Moira.
"Who is she? Interested buyer?" Ben looked at the blonde, not remembering her face.
"I don't think she's a buyer. She knew Moira." Vivien responded.
"Maybe Constance sent her?" Ben inquired.
"I doubt that." His wife shook her head.
Moira returned, the blonde's eyes darted immediately at her. "He is in his room. I suggest you go quickly or he'll see you." She advised the woman.
"Is everything set?" Des asked Moira, her eyes studying the new look of the house. Her fingers played on the kitchen counter and lingered there for the moment before turning back to Moira.
"Yes." The old lady nodded her head. It was the very similar to the one of the many requests that she had been asking during her visits.
"Thank you very much. I really appreciate it. I should probably keep going. It's been nearly a year." Des forced a smile and held on to her bag tighter.
"Yes, miss Ludlow." The maid gave a small smile.
"Later, Moira." She waved at the maid before heading the stairs.
"Moira, who is she?" Vivien asked, watching the girl leave the kitchen and headed to the stairs.
"What is she doing here?" Ben added to Vivien's inquiry.
"Desdemona used to live here until… Her brother died in here. She visits him here."
"Brother?" Ben doesn't recall seeing a spirit that could pass as the lady's brother.
"William is with Beauregard in the attic. He's not that social." Moira sighed, recalling to the fate of the child.
"Who is she hiding from?" Vivien asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Tate." The maid answered solemnly before she vanished.
Violet made it clear to him that she does not like to see him anymore and so he did. He would wait for her forever if that's what it takes since the both of them were living under the same roof and that someday she'd come to forgive him for what he had done.
Moira found him earlier, lying on the bed as she handed him a poster of Nirvana and on top of that, there were autographs of Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl to which the old lady claimed to find near the house's territory. He does not believe that she managed to pick up something like that out of nowhere but he didn't really care.
Somehow it made him smile to see his favorite band despite the shitty things that has happened recently. There was even a time where a previous owner of the room he was laying, sang some Nirvana songs with him, watch DVDs and do almost anything inside the room. For a few years, she made it bearable for him to get stuck in the house. The hell he was staying at turned into paradise with her presence.
His nostalgia was cut off short as he heard the attic ladder was pulled down and thought of Beau and William who has been occupying that space in the house. What they could be doing this time?
It wasn't the first time he heard the attic ladder to get pulled down especially now that the house has more residents than before. He should better put his focus on Violet than her because there was no chance that she'd return after all that has happened. He was abandoned just like how his father has left his family.
Sighing in defeat, Tate grabbed the poster and headed to the hall before Violet would come to her room. He had been doing a good job of staying away from her as it was what she wanted.
He stopped on his tracks as he saw a blonde went upstairs. There was no one in the house with that hair color except Vivien and Nora and he was sure that neither of them would go into the attic. They had an intruder? The intruder glanced down quickly as she headed to the attic.
If he was still alive, he swore his heart would have skipped for a second. She was here. Someone he thought he would never see again was in the house. Someone he thought that has moved on and forgot the house. He moved languidly to her, still not making his presence known.
"Des…" He breathed in air he doesn't really need, amused to how different she looked from the last time he saw her which was years ago. Their separation longer than the years that they spent together.
When he realized that Des was going to pull the ladder to the attic up, Tate went upstairs quickly to see Will and his brother standing on the side of the attic. He raised a finger on his lips as the two boys looked at him and shush. He swore that Des looked saw him as she looked in his direction although it was impossible since he wasn't trying to make his presence know. Not yet anyway.
"What?" She asked, looking to Beau and Will.
"Don't say anything Will. I am not going to hurt her, I promise. I missed her too." He had his hands raised as he pleaded to the young boy.
"Stay back! Don't move any closer." Will warn Tate.
Tate nodded, wrapping his arm around himself.
"You don't want me to be here." Her voice quivered despite trying to smile.
"No. It's-" Will shook his head, his eyes widening to his sister's accusation.
"Say that it's the twins. I won't cause any trouble." Tate quipped, looking at Will.
"It's the twins." Will echo Tate's words.
"Are they gone?" Des looked in Tate's direction although not seeing him, he could feel all the things he had felt all those years as if it was only yesterday.
"I guess." Will shrug and run over to embrace his sister.
"I thought you're not coming but Moira said that you will." The boy looked up to his sister. After all the years that passed, he noticed the change on his sister's appearance while he stayed the same age and appearance.
"I said that I will, didn't I? Besides how could I leave you here alone." She knelt to be in the same level as her brother, rummaging his dark hair.
"Come on, we should play. Beau and I had always been playing ball and now Addy's gone, we don't have anyone to play with." The boy pulled Des towards the spot where he and Beauregard play together.
"Hey Beau. It's me." She reached her hand out to Beau which Tate's brother took.
"Do you know a lot happened when you are gone? They had lots of people around here now. It is good that they don't bother us up here." The boy let go of her hand, sitting in an Indian style facing bow as he picked up the ball. Beau let go of Des' hand as he saw Will took the ball on the ground.
Des sat not too far from them and when Beau pushed the ball to Des, she held to it before she passed it to Will then her brother passed it to Beau. It was an ongoing cycle while Des and Will exchanged stories. Tate winced whenever Will would mention his previous deeds where he hurt people. It was apparent that she was affected whenever she flinched at the mention of Tate's name and what he did to all those people.
He stayed on the corner far from the three playing ball as Will kept glancing on him to make sure he was staying true to his words.
"You and Beau go play." She said before passing the ball for the last time. Des opened her bag and put it on the floor which caught Will's attention. He held the ball on his hand as he looks at the contents of the bag that was placed on the ground.
Will stand beside her and Bo crawled next to her. Tate's brother took the soccer ball while the other boy only stood still. "Is it for us?"
"Who else would want all of these?" She replied as if he was asking something silly.
"Wow! Thank you, Desdemona. You're the best!" He embraced his sister tightly before rummaging to the objects that she brought with her. Aside from the soccer ballot which Bo was already playing, she also had a zoid action figure with her and a hot wheel car for him.
The boy run to get a box and dragged it near the things that Des brought him. He opened the box that contains the gifts that he had been receiving from Des, there were already some zoids and car toys that he gets to play with together with Beau.
Looking at Des who just stood up and grabbed her bag, he saw her covering her face briefly and taking a deep breath as she watched her brother. "Um…Will, I have to go now."
"Now? Can't you stay over?" The boy whined.
"I-I would if I can." Des frowned.
"This is not fair." Will complain.
"I'll bring you to a carnival this coming Halloween. How is that?" She offered to the boy who was slumping.
"You will?" His eyes widened in surprise.
"We did see a movie last time. I promise we'll see a carnival this time. You just have to leave the house and go to our usual spot." Des curled her fingers into a fist and raised her pinky.
Will look to her sister then to her finger. "Alright." He agreed, gripping her pinky with his. After that, he hugged his sister and she returned it.
"Be a good boy alright." She whispered before letting him go.
"You too Beau." She pointed a finger at Tate's brother who beamed a smile.
"Take care." Will wave. She pushed the ladder down and walked down the stairs.
"Bye." She waved to her brother and then her brother pulled the stairs up, closing the attic.
Tate watched her disappear in the attic. "She's been here before?" Tate asked the boy, his hands shaking. Will ignore his question as he sat near his toys.
"I know you've heard bad things about me. Will, we used to play you, me and your sister. I didn't hurt you have I? I will not hurt her." The boy saw the sincerity of Tate's face and knew that he was right. He had murdered all people but he has never hurt him or her.
"She doesn't want to see you. You know." Will inform him.
"She said that?" Tate asked in disbelief.
"She said it was better if you forget about her." Will shrug and returned to playing with his new toy. The boy did not really grasp the idea of what her sister meant by it but being the eldest, he had always trusted her.
A mixture of happiness, anxiety and nostalgia has hit her. It seemed too long ago, she occupied the house with her family. Time passed quickly within her stay in the years she stayed in the house. Just as she was about to head downstairs, she saw her old room was open. It was the same room that Tate had when he was alive.
Her heart pummeled in her chest with the fear that Tate left the room. The nirvana poster she gave should have been enough of a distraction. She held on to the railing of the staircase and as she stepped forward her body collided with something.
"Fuck." She cursed as the collision caused her to move back, a hand snaked it's way to her waist to prevent her from falling. Her eyes slowly raised to meet who was blocking the stairs although she doesn't really need to. His chocolate brown eyes met her eyes that were electric blue.
"Tate." She gasped, taking in how the boy looked exactly the same since they last saw each other.
"Hey." The teenager smiled, slowly moving his hand on her waist.
"Hey." She repeated, hypnotized with his eyes.
"You changed your hair." He commented. Her hair was darker and now it she had dyed it blonde.
"Yeah and you haven't changed a bit." Shaking her head to resist him, she looked on the ground instead. She tried to move on the side of the stairs that Tate wasn't blocking only to have Tate moved on that side to block her again. She tried to move again but he blocked it.
"Can we talk?" He asked softly.
"There's nothing to talk about, Tate." She smiled bitterly.
"We are in love. But we also both know that whatever it is that we have won't last." Her voice broke, a tear fell on her cheek. He put his hands on either side of her face and his thumb wiped the tear. There was nothing more that need be said, their days were numbered but Tate doesn't want her to leave. Not yet.
Tate seemed to have dazed off and she took it as an opportunity to get pass through him. "Wait a second. Des, it's been years. I-I-I didn't know you would come back." He followed her down the stairs.
"I have to go, Tate. I can't stay." She explained reaching the ground floor.
"You can go I just want to talk." He grunted.
"I can't stay here." She repeated herself.
"Why not?" He asked.
He was disappointed and the look that he was giving her, she could not just ignore him. "Because I'm going to hurt you. We're just going to hurt ourselves, okay?!" Holding back the tears forming on her eyes.
"What are you talking about? I'm happy with you. We can be happy together like before." Tate reasoned, smiling weakly. "You don't want to see me? Is that it?"
"Because I want to be with in this house. To be with you and William. That's what." She said to Tate. The one thing she was afraid of was… The reason why she doesn't want to see Tate was because she wouldn't want to leave the murder house knowing that her brother living in there and the only one who understood what it was like to be alone.
"Then what's stopping you?" He put his hands on her arms, urging her to look at him. If there was one thing he wanted more was for her to be happy.
"Des." He whispered her name delicately, looking down to her. She grew a few inches taller but he was still taller than her.
"Tate, if we" Des looked down on her feet and continued to look up at him, "If we continue seeing each other again, we'd be happy for what? For days, weeks, months? Then we'd realize that what we are doing is shitting ourselves because we can't be together. You belong here and I don't. Your mother-"
"It doesn't fucking concern her. This is about us, Desdemona!" Tate yelled, gripping her shoulders tighter.
"Tate, you have to understand-"She rests her hand to his chest as she spoke.
"You're good at leaving people behind." Tate stated and with that, a hand flew towards his cheek.
"I'm sorry." Des froze to what she has done.
"I just want to talk." He whimpered.
"I honestly don't know how to talk to you anymore, what to feel to you anymore, okay? I love you but love isn't enough. You've changed and from the looks of it, you've gone worst." She sniveled, tears running down her face. Tate has changed, she thought that he changed himself after his death and won't commit murder anymore but she was wrong.
"I'm so sorry for what I did. I didn't mean to hurt them." Tate sobbed, lowering herself to Des. She put her arms around him. It felt like the old times but those times were better left buried.
She pulled away and kissed his forehead as Tate he cried. "But it's not me whom you should say sorry to. I am not the one you raped and killed."
He bawled, looking at her. He was sincere to his words and he knew that of all people she should understand that even if Violet won't. "I didn't mean to. I swear I didn't. I've changed Des, please. I'm getting better after the incident."
"I am not the judge of that Tate. I'm so sorry." She mewled.
"You can stay here. Dr. Harmon doesn't want to help me. You can help me. I know you can help me."
"Tate."
"I was getting better with you and when you left…I had to start over again! Please, Des. I don't want to be alone anymore." He clung harder to Des.
"This place is for the dead. For spirits. I came for Will not for you." She said to him.
"You're lying." He accused as he looked at her.
Words could not escape her lips, not knowing what to say to Tate. What she feared was coming to life, seeing Tate again and knowing her brother would like to be with her.
"Go away." They both turned their heads to see who it was.
"No. Don't let her. I love you!" Tate pleaded.
"Go away, Tate!" Violet screamed and before they know it, the blonde teenager vanished from their sight.
Des looked at Violet and thanked her. The teenage ghost nodded her head. "Goodbye." She whispered before running to the door and never looked back. Reaching the lawns, she run towards the fence and climbed above it and in a hurry, she sprained herself in the process. She landed outside the property, limping as she tried to clean the tears running down her face.
When she looked back to the house, she saw her former best friend and lover in one of the many windows watching her leave. To her, she would always be the one that got away.
I hope you like this one shot. I can't promise this but if anyone's interested about their past, I can explore it and write a few chapters about their relationship. Thank you for reading.